Man Sentenced To 63 Months In Prison For Possessing Cocaine With Intent To Distribute

St. Croix, USVI – On Friday December 19, 2014, Chief District Court Judge Wilma A. Lewis sentenced Miguel Angel Pascual-Pichardo, 37, to 63 months in prison for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced today. Chief Judge Lewis also sentenced Pascual-Pichardo to serve four years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment.

Court records show that on January 9, 2014, police lawfully searched the vehicle that Pascual-Pichardo was driving and found several duffle bags containing 228 kilos of cocaine. On January 27, 2014, Pascual-Pichardo pleaded guilty. At the conclusion of Friday’s sentencing hearing, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Virgin Islands Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rhonda Williams-Henry.